Thursday, November 08, 2012

Fiat Lux!

I had a generator, but I had fled to my brother's because I didn't think I could run it safely in the second storm. Lo and behold, the power company finally came by today and fixed the downed poles - and then, this is practically miraculous - on the eleventh day, THERE WAS POWER. That was followed by phone and internet. So now I'm really back. The generator can run the basics only. Heh, my storm tales would fill a book. Really had a bleeping NE hurricane. Part of the roof ripped off. Trapped in house by fir tree down across driveway. No light and heat for a while, because I had given the generator to someone who needed it more. Had firewood, though. As for the tree down across the driveway, I had cut it down to the bare trunk by hand and started to cut through the trunk by hand, and then a Good Samaritan showed up with a chain saw and finished the job. My brother came by and we (meaning really he) patched the roof with the scanty materials at hand. It held through the second storm, so we (he) did a surprisingly good job.

I escaped durance vile on Friday, and then I got the generator back late that day because the loan house got a generator. Saturday I rigged it a little house out of firewood racks, cinderblocks and a tarp, which worked surprisingly well. Then Monday of this week we wired up Superdoc's office, because he was sitting there with no lights, no heat, no computers and no phones, treating patients.

Among the more entertaining incidents, a crew of chainsaw-toting Baptists showed up and started cutting people's trees for free. This was extremely necessary, because all tree service companies are booked up solid on larger jobs.

I need a chainsaw, although I do not think I am qualified to join the Baptist group which does this.

I am tired after a lot of physical work in the cold and the damp. I have been out of touch, and I need to start baking for various tree elves. I did not see a cop the whole time, but aside from the terror of gangs of chainsaw wielding Baptists roaming around freeing people from their houses, I also did not see the need for them. Mainly it was just people helping people.

Some of the people who came in from the south (and there are tons of them) do not have clothing for this weather. They need blankets, coats, hats and so forth. So if you can donate such things, please do, and if you are in the area and see foreign work crews (even the feral chainsaw wielding Baptists), go up and ask them if they need anything, because they don't even know where to get it.

Man, what a story! I just wonder how many of these storms it will take before people understand that the Government really doesn't bail you out when they happen. You have to deal with it on a local level.

5 years ago our family dairy farm in Washington was hit with a flood that sent 8 ft of water through the house and barns killing the dairy herd and ruining the house and barns.During the clean up several churches from the Seattle area sent bus loads of folks who worked all weekend clean mud out of the barns and house this went on for several weeks until the job was done. The farm and its herd has been rebuilt but like many small farmers my cousin faces a dim future as feed prices soar putting his farm and lifework in danger.